The second period, from about 1900 to the beginning of World War I, was a transitional one. The Death of Titian, 1914), and Der Thor und der Tod (1900 trans. It consisted mainly of poetry and lyric drama, including such works as Der Tod des Tizian (1901 trans. The earliest phase lasted from about 1890 to the turn of the century. Von Hofmannsthal's work is often divided into three periods.
He helped to form the Jung Wien (Young Vienna), a group of writers who rejected naturalism in literature and adopted the principles of the French Symbolist tradition. By that time, he had already established himself as a writer, much admired by prominent men of letters in Austria and Germany. Returning to the same school a year later, he studied for four years, receiving a Ph.D.
After graduating in 1892, he entered law school at the University of Vienna, but dropped out in 1894 to join the military. Von Hofmannsthal attended the Wiener Akademisches Gymnasium, where he wrote his first poetry, drama, and essays. He was the only son of Hugo August (a bank director) and Anna Maria von Hofmannsthal. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHYĭramatist, poet, novelist, and essayist, Hugo von Hofmannsthal was born on February 1, 1874, in Vienna, Austria. Although rarely performed today, the play has become famous because von Hofmannsthal adapted it as the libretto for German composer Richard Strauss's thrilling opera, Elektra (1909). Electra also employs powerful, lurid imagery that gives vivid insight into the disturbed minds of Electra and Clytemnestra, and it moves single-mindedly to its violent conclusion. It uses the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, which had been published only a few years before von Hofmannsthal wrote the play. The revenge comes when Electra's brother Orestes returns from exile and kills both Clytemnestra and Aegisthus.Įlectra is a study in mental disturbance and obsession. Agamemnon's daughter Electra still mourns her beloved father's death and obsessively anticipates the moment when she will avenge him by killing her mother. The play takes place ten years after the slaying. Agamemnon was the king of Mycenae who was killed by his wife Clytemnestra and her lover Aegisthus upon his return from the Trojan War. The story focuses on the consequences of the murder of Agamemnon. This volume is currently out of print.Įlectra is a free adaptation of the play of the same name by the ancient Greek dramatist, Sophocles. Hugo von Hofmannsthal's play Electra, which was first performed in Germany in 1903 (German title, Elektra) and published in English translation in 1908, is available in the volume, Hugo von Hofmannsthal: Three Plays, translated by Alfred Schwartz (Wayne State University Press, 1966).
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